June 20, 2010

Dear Family and Friends, June 20, 2010

This week began with a drive home from Encarnacion early in the morning. We stopped at the fruit market and brought home a couple bags of grapefruits. Mark loves to drink the juice and I love to eat them for breakfast. We arrived home and unpacked and settled in after the trip. Tuesday we had a staff meeting and Mark had interviews. It is amazing that with 190 missionaries interviewed every 6 weeks there are often extra interviews that need to happen even in the middle of the cycle. Our office elders make great music when we sing in our meetings. They harmonize well in music and in the work they do in the office! Wednesday was more interviews in the office and an elder came in to get his foot xrayed at the doctor and found a little crack in his big toe. Elder Ganga will have to heal in the office for a bit. His soccer game on preparation day had an unfortunate result. Thursday we went into the office so Mark could set apart Elder Zorilla from Ayolas who is going to serve a mission in Chile. It’s always nice when missionaries from Paraguay are prepared and able to serve missions.

Thursday Elder Guenther who served as the administrador was ready to go back into the field after training Elder Dance. He made such a difference in our office with his organizational skills and happy countenance. We will miss him but know he is anxious to get out teaching full time. The missionaries have been challenged by Elder Bowen to increase the number of lessons they teach each week. Some of the zone leaders immediately took the challenge to set a goal of 40 per week and met the goal. One set reached 57 lessons last week. Their zones are following their lead. Our office elders also have been working to reach the goal. They spend their days until 4 pm in the office and they still met the goal of 40 this week. We have many other elders who are catching the spirit of using our time better here in the mission and it shows in their happy faces.

Friday Mark met with a stake president for his monthly meeting with him. We have placed pictures of all the stake and district presidents on the wall of our office and he was happy to see his smiling face on the wall. During the next couple days we spent preparing for upcoming meetings and I was able to finish reading and marking the Book of Mormon in Spanish. Now I get to start again! Saturday we took a preparation day and spent a little more time than usual exercising. Mark got in the pool which was very cold. We will turn the heat back on before the girls get here next month for their visit. We found out this week that Jenny our oldest daughter will come for a visit also during the time Laura and Sara will be here. Do you think she can sneak Will and Adam in her suitcase?

Sunday we went to the Asuncion Stake for stake conference. President Damiano was being released after serving in the presidency for 20 years,10 years as councilor and 10 years as president. When we met President Damiano almost a year ago he and Mark connected quickly. They had both been at a conference held in Buenos Aires, Argentina when President Kimball announced a temple was coming to South America. He is a wonderful stalwart church member here and has a wonderful family. I was excited to get to just attend a meeting for once. Elder Aidukitis was presiding so we were excited to go and support President Damiano and the new president. We sat in the audience and then Elder Aidukitis invited us to join them on the stand. The sound system was not the best because it was held in a sports building. We actually couldn’t hear what was being said in the beginning of the meeting. After the old and new presidents and councilors all spoke Elder Aidukitis looked at Mark like he was supposed to speak. He got up and spoke and then Elder Aidukitis looked at me and let me know I was supposed to speak also! So I did! We apologized that we hadn’t heard our names and he just laughed. Oh well another day in our great adventure here in Paraguay.

Today is Father’s Day and Mark has spoken to most of the children and the day is still young. We are grateful for the wonderful fathers that Mark and I have. We have been blessed with good fathers who have taught us well and been good examples to us throughout our lives. I am grateful for a wonderful man who is such a great father to our children. We are not perfect as parents but we try our best. The gospel helps us so much to become who we need to become through keeping our covenants and helping us to improve. We are grateful for the good fathers our sons and sons in law are. They are each striving to fulfill their roles as protectors and providers for their sweet families. We are especially grateful for our Heavenly Father and for the great love we feel from Him. We hope you all have a good week. Love, Mark and Sandy

Pictures June 15th, 2010

Farewell gathering for President and Sister Wade of the North Mission

Elders Guenther and Dance- Administradores

Elders Facer and Steren - Financieros

Elder Bowns

Elder Roberts

Office staff meeting

Office Meeting (two in training)

Samaniego family and Christian after receiving Mechizedek priesthood

Saints in Encarnacion getting on buses after district conference

Saints boarding bus

District Presidency of Encarnacion and Mission Presidency

June 12, 2010

Dear Family and Friends, June 12, 2010

I´m in a hotel in Encarnacion today while Mark is in interviews and priesthood meeting so I thought I would use the time to write about our week. Monday morning we were up and on the road early to drive to Coronel Oviedo for interviews with missionaries. Because of our mission tour with Elder Bowen, Mark was not able to interview while we were at the zone conferences so we are finishing up all the interviews by going out to a few remaining zones who are farther away from Asuncion. We arrived and began interviews with the 14 missionaries and finished by noon or so. We drove the 3 hours back and did some grocery shopping for the week. It was the missionaries’ preparation day so they enjoyed some ping pong and basketball while they waited for their interviews. I had a nice chat with the Hermanas Plessl and Steadman who are the only Hermanas outside of Asuncion.

Tuesday night we went to a little gathering to say good bye to the Wades and Frutos who are finishing their missions soon. The Wades have helped us so much as we have spent our year here. They have been great examples of how to serve as a mission president and wife. We will miss them so much. The Frutos couple have a great story also. He is Paraguayan and went to the states when he was 23 years old for an education. He met and married his wife there and they lived in California where they raised their family. They came to Paraguay to serve a temple mission for 18 months and then went home for a few months. They returned to serve a mission in the north mission for 18 more months. They went home for a couple months and then came back to serve for another year for a total of 4 years. He speaks Guarani so he was very helpful to President Wade over the years. It was a nice evening spent with all of the other senior and temple missionaries there.

Wednesday we spent at the office with interviews for Mark and an office staff meeting. We have two office elders in training now so it is fun to watch the new Elders Steren and Dance learn their new responsibilities and bring their personalities to the office. In the evening we had the wonderful opportunity to go support two brothers who were receiving the Mechizedek priesthood. One was the man Mark baptized a bit ago and he had asked that Mark ordain him. They have a beautiful family of six children and it was so fun to see their excitement and share this special time with them. The other was a good young man who also was excited for the things that are happening in his life. We hope to go to the temple with the Samaniego family in the next year.

Thursday we were up early again and on the road to San Ignacio 2 and ½ hours from Asuncion for more interviews. One thing I love about our early morning drives is the sunrises. They are gorgeous! The pinks and oranges and blues just amaze me every time I see them. I try to take photos but usually we are driving and we can´t stop quick enough to get the best view before it’s gone. Mark interview 6 elders in San Ignacio and then we stopped in Bogado for another couple interviews. We finished the day driving into Encarnacion.

Friday was spent interviewing 8 missionaries in the morning and 9 members of the district in the evening. Mark was so excited that 9 men were ready to receive the priesthood or advance in the priesthood. Some were preparing for missions and others were preparing to take their families to the temple. This is an exciting part of the mission when we see people prepared to be sealed to their families in the temple. Encarnation has many people who are members of the church but are not participating as they could. With more worthy priesthood holders there will be more support for those who are struggling and need help. Mark was especially excited about a man who lost his membership 10 years ago and the spirit helped him have a desire to change and come back. There is a bit of a problem here with people getting lost when that happens and Mark was excited to help this brother prepare to get back on the path so he can eventually be sealed to his wife.

Saturday Mark was back at the church for more interviews and then Priesthood meeting and meetings with the district presidency before the rest of the conference meetings. I will join him tonight for the adult session.

Tomorrow we will have the final session of conference and after meetings in the afternoon and evening we will drive back home Monday morning. Elder Bowen gave us strict instructions not to drive on the routes after dark so we are trying to be obedient. During these winter hours there is not a lot of daylight so it changes our plans at times.

We are grateful for the way we see missionaries growing and changing. We are grateful for the good things we see happening in the branches and wards. There is so much to do here but little by little we see progress. Our missionaries seem to be more focused on working harder and accomplishing more and more and we are grateful for that. Many missionaries take the challenges of the mission and meet them well. We love the things we are doing here and the things we are learning. Have a great week! Love, Mark and Sandy

PS: The Sunday session of conference was great! We had a great attendance at the final session. The district really is getting excited about the possibility of becoming a stake in the future so the members are really stepping up. During the final session, Mark had the two zone leaders join him on the stand and share a 5 minute lesson that included the First Vision and concluded with one sharing the words of Joseph Smith as he described the visit of the Father and the Son. We were all renewed in our faith and testimony. We love the people here. It was fun to see them coming from 10 different branches to the conference. They arrive in buses after traveling during the night. We’ll send some pictures to the blog after we get back to Asuncion.

Picture June 6th, 2010

Group of new missionaries

New missionaries with trainers

Leaving missionaries at temple

Temple at night

Leaving missionaries

Mark getting shoes shined at the air port

June 6, 2010

Dear Family and Friends, June 6, 2010

This week was change week where we welcome new missionaries and say good bye to those returning home. Monday began with our office staff meeting along with the assistants to make final plans for the fun week. There is a lot of moving around of people during this time as companionships need to change to accommodate the new missionaries who need trainers and to accommodate those who are going home. There are meals to plan for both groups and hotel reservations for the new and old group, transportation for everyone moving around during this time either by bus or taxi. It’s really quite amazing the things that go into the week and it’s pretty much all done by young missionaries. Soon we will have a senior couple who will jump into the fun of these change weeks. We picked up the group of 11 new missionaries Tuesday morning at the airport. We thought we were receiving 12 missionaries but we received 11 because of a visa problem. There were a few other changes in who came so after a little changing of a few details we were good to go. We went straight to the temple with our 11 new missionaries. Elder Massey and Curtis joined us from Arizona and Utah. We welcomed Elder Avendano from Mexico, Elder Ayala from Colombia, Elder Gutierrez from Panama, Elder Lopez from Salvador ,Elder Martinez from Mexico, Elder Rio from Argentina, Elder Ortega from Paraguay who is waiting for a Venezuelan visa, Hermana Quartino from Uruguay, and Hermana Troesch from Panama. They were a powerful group with sweet testimonies and ready to serve. We went straight to the temple for a quick welcome and testimony of the temple as a place we want to see everyone we teach as missionaries by Mark and me. We then went to lunch at a Chinese restaurant which surprises most missionaries. It is a buffet and we can eat quickly and get on with the rest of the day so it works for us . We then went to the office for orientation and interviews and e-mailing parents.

After another quick bite of Lomitos Arabe, a kind of wrap, another favorite of missionaries which is not Paraguayan food either , the office elders took everyone out for a bit of making contacts and teaching. Afterwards we went to the mission home for dessert and testimony. As I said before we were very impressed with this group. The North American elders did well with their Spanish and the whole group bore powerful testimonies. The sisters stayed at the mission home with us and the elders were off to the hotel for the night.

Wednesday everyone was up early so they could go sign their legal papers so they were all legally here in Paraguay and then came back to the office for a meeting with the trainers. We had 11 great missionaries ready to train. They were like little children waiting for Christmas as they waited to find out who their new companion would be. After the trainers meeting the new missionaries joined us to be introduced to their companions and then more training was given. As soon as the meeting was over a group photo was taken and then they jumped into the 11 taxis waiting to take them to their new areas. By 11:00 am they were all on their way. While this is all happening at the office, all the rest of the missionaries involved in changes met at the bus terminal to get their new companions. It’s like a big game of dominoes when missionaries come and go it affects many more of the companionships. It’s always amazing to watch it all happen so smoothly. The office elders time themselves to see how quickly they can get everyone with their new companions and back on buses to their areas. Everyone met there at the terminal at 6:30 am and by 8:30am they had everyone heading back out. We welcomed Elder Dance into the office to begin training as the Administrador this week also. Elder Guenther is teaching him everything he knows about how to move supplies around the mission and get the mail and information to the missionaries. He also helps the latin missionaries with their English test at the end of their mission and many other things. He is super organized and will pass his knowledge along to Elder Dance.

With the new missionaries off with their companions the focus shifts to the 10 missionaries who are going home. Elders Barate, Braziel , Charleson, Frehner, Lowe, Mancilla, Parks, Stringham and Sisters Jara and Pluim will be missed in the mission. They are all interviewed during the day and at noon we took them to lunch for their final meal in Paraguay. We go to Paulistas which is a Brazillian type buffet and all the meat you can eat restaurant. They love it! We went to the temple for a session and then back to the mission home for dessert and testimonies. It is great to see the mature young missionaries who are ready to go home and move forward in their lives. They change so much in the two years they are here.

Thursday we were up at 3:00am to begin saying goodbye to missionaries at the airport. We went two times that day to say goodbye to the different groups who were flying out. Friday we spent at home working on things and Saturday and Sunday we had Stake conference at our own stake here in Asuncion the Fernando de la Mora Stake. The whole meeting Saturday and Sunday was focused on missionary work. Mark and I both participated in both meetings. I had been asked to speak on Sunday but when we arrived Saturday night President Texiera asked me to bear my testimony also about my experience of being a mother to our sons as they served their missions. I remember learning when Matt, our first son served his mission to Russia how the Lord really helped me to have peace while he was away serving. I also gained a great testimony as both our sons served of the blessings and growth that come to the missionary serving but also to the rest of them family as well. Sunday there was a stake youth choir that was amazing. One of our missionaries directed it and they have some people who play piano very well in the stake. It was great seeing the youth happily involved and singing so well.

On our preparation day we had fun giving each other haircuts. I have been cutting Mark’s since we arrived and it still is quite an adventure each time I do it. I found a place to get my hair cut but they don’t cut the length at the bottom the way I want it so I instructed Mark how to do it and it turned out just how I wanted it. He was very proud of himself!

Oh well, that’s enough for this week. We love you all. We really do enjoy what we are doing here. The next group of missionaries that come in 6 weeks will include our senior couple. We are anxious for their arrival. We are also excited to have our daughters Laura and Sara travel with the next group to come here for a visit. We hope you all have a good week. We love you all. Mark and Sandy

Pictures May 30, 2010

Beginning of mission tour with Sister and Elder Bowen

Coronel Oviedo District Conference Choir

Sister Callan with a young friend

May 30, 2010

Dear Family and Friends, May 30, 2010

What a wonderful week we have had. We started with a meeting with the office and assistants to take care of last minute details for our mission tour with the area president, Elder Bowen and his wife. The elders had everything looking great so we took off for the airport to pick up Bowens. We took them to our home for lunch and our interview and then back to the office for meetings with the staff and assistants. At 2:00pm we had our first of 4 zone conferences. We finished at 5:30 and then had a zone leader council. Afterwards we went back to the mission home for dinner and sleep. The next three days we had three more conferences in Asuncion, Encarnacion and Ciudad del Este. We would have a conference and then drive to the next city so we were really on the move. Thursday we took the Bowens to the airport in Ciudad del Este and stayed on for a couple days for Mark to interview all the missionaries in the zone there.

We had such a great experience with the kind and loving Bowens. They are great people and we have learned so much from them. The missionaries were invited to read and study before the conference so they would be prepared to learn. They really responded to the invitation. When we arrived at each conference the spirit was so strong and we could tell they were ready to be taught. It was a great week especially for me and Mark as we attended each conference and learned so many things from Elder Bowen and his wife. We enjoyed the drives in between cities as we were able to visit and learn even more from them.

Elder Bowen taught about the priesthood and covenants and related it to who we are and what we need to do now and in the future to make and keep our covenants and progress. He ended each conference asking the missionaries to think about the kind of characteristics they would want their future spouses to have and to list them along with the characteristics they would need. It was very powerful and in speaking with the missionaries afterwards they were all excited to move forward and step up their efforts here in the mission. Elder Bowen told us that our missionaries showed by their preparation that they are doing well and just need to work harder and more effectively. We have enjoyed our association with the Bowens over the last year that we have been here.

Saturday we left Ciudad del Este and went to Cau’uazu for more interviews and ended up in Coronel Oviedo for a District Conference there with President Aguilera . It was a nice conference . There was a sweet choir who sang from their hearts and helped us feel the spirit even more. President Udall ,the temple president and his wife and councilor and wife also came . There were great messages about temples and families. We met some wonderful people . One was a sweet girl in the choir named Cielo Ayala who I visited with on Saturday night and then Sunday she brought me a sweet note and some earrings. Her mother passed away when her sister was born 5 years ago so she lives with her dad and aunt now. She is a stalwart in her branch and sang in the choir. One of the blessings of the mission is the sweet people we are meeting and learning from.

As I think about the past week I am so grateful for the blessings of the Spirit. Because of the preparation we made as a mission for our conference the Spirit was able to teach each of us exactly what we needed to learn. Many missionaries told me of the specific things they learned and how perfect it was for them. I also had some things I needed help with and received my answers. If we do our homework before any meeting we have whether it is sacrament meeting or going to the temple or teaching a lesson the spirit can magnify what we will learn and personalize it for each one of us. I love that about the Spirit and I’m so grateful for the help we receive.

We again are so grateful for another wonderful week with our wonderful missionaries. We learn so much from them and are grateful for the good things they are doing and the way they are trying hard to be good servants here in the mission to bring the gospel to the people who are prepared to receive it.

We hope you all have a good week. Love, Mark and Sandy